When I hear the word neighbor, two different images come to mind (and maybe the same thing happens with you, too).

One is from my Bible, and one from my childhood in front of a television set. And, even though this is a Christian blog, we’re going to be focusing on the latter rather than the former (though, of course, we will not discount Christ’s teachings).

Today would have been Fred Rogers’ 85th birthday. The Presbyterian minister and star of the well-loved PBS children’s show Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood. To Mr. Rogers, we were ALL neighbors. And, if I may say so, he made every child feel special and important – and cared for, just as the Good Samaritan did for the robbed and beaten man in Luke 10:25-37.

Whether we are evangelizing, writing, teaching, or just living our lives, we can treat our neighbors as Jesus would – and we can make people want to be our neighbors, as Mr. Rogers (and Jesus, of course), did.

Won’t you be my neighbor?

Who is my neighbor?

What does being a good neighbor mean to your writing? How are you treating the people in your neighborhood?